Hunter Biden trial: Here's why his gun case hinges on one fateful day when he wasn't using drugs
USA TodayMay 21
Jury Selection Begins in Hunter Biden Gun Trial
Above: Hunter Biden, son of US President Joe Biden, joined by his wife Melissa Cohen Biden, arrives to the J. Caleb Boggs Federal Building on June 03, 2024 in Wilmington, Delaware. Image copyright: Anna Moneymaker/Staff/Getty Images News via Getty Images
The Facts
Jury selection for the criminal gun possession trial of US Pres. Joe Biden's son, Hunter Biden, began Monday. He stands charged with lying about his drug use when purchasing a revolver in 2018 and illegally possessing the firearm.
Prosecutors allege that Biden lied on a background check form that he was not a user of illegal drugs. They intend to use excerpts from his memoir and witness testimony to detail his crack cocaine and alcohol addictions during that time.
The Spin
Democratic narrative
A prosecutor and a judge both appointed by Trump are determined to humiliate the Biden family in this clearly retaliatory case, in light of Trump's own legal travails. Hunter has been open about his addiction and his recovery, and the case is more about his father than the rarely ever pursued charge of addict-in-possession. The GOP is doing everything they can to distract from Trump and sully the Biden name.
Republican narrative
No one is above the law, as Democrats like to remind the country, and the son of the president is no exception. Hunter Biden detailed his crimes in his very own memoir, and his legal team has been relying on technicalities to get the case thrown out. For once in his life, his powerful father cannot stop Hunter from facing the consequences of his actions, as he finally gets his day in court.